Remember. Oh, remember. How remember moments of forgotten time? Where is the way now {she wondered} through that dark up-spreading wood? Leaf, locust, sunlight in the hollow, all those she had known, all had fled like years. Now silence sounds where no light falls, and she has lost the way.
William Styron Lie Down in Darkness
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In this reflective passage, the protagonist grapples with the theme of memory and the elusiveness of the past. She ponders how to recall moments that have drifted into oblivion, questioning her ability to navigate through a metaphorical dark forest that symbolizes her lost clarity and direction. The imagery of nature, such as leaves and sunlight, evokes a sense of nostalgia for experiences that once brought her joy but are now absent.

The stark contrast between silence and the vibrant memories she once had illustrates her profound sense of loss. As she wanders through this mental landscape, she feels disoriented and disconnected from her former self. The writing poignantly captures her inner turmoil as she seeks a path forward but remains shrouded in darkness, reflecting on the passage of time and the fading of cherished moments.

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Lie Down in Darkness
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William Styron
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Other quotes in Lie Down in Darkness

Remember. Oh, remember. How remember moments of forgotten time? Where is the way now {she wondered} through that dark up-spreading wood? Leaf, locust, sunlight in the hollow, all those she had known, all had fled like years. Now silence sounds where no light falls, and she has lost the way.
William Styron Lie Down in Darkness
Remember. Oh, remember. How remember moments of forgotten time? Where is the way now {she wondered} through that dark up-spreading wood? Leaf, locust, sunlight in the hollow, all those she had known, all had fled like years. Now silence sounds where no light falls, and she has lost the way.
Through some happy accident of heredity he had escaped his father's tediousness, while retaining a little of his mother's jolly high spirits and humor. This did not make him anything special, but at least he was good-natured.
William Styron Lie Down in Darkness
Through some happy accident of heredity he had escaped his father's tediousness, while retaining a little of his mother's jolly high spirits and humor. This did not make him anything special, but at least he was good-natured.
Oh, I would say, you've never understood me, Harry, that not out of vengeance have I accomplished all my sins but because something has always been close to dying in my soul, and I've sinned only in order to lie down in darkness and find, somewhere in the net of dreams, a new father, a new home.
William Styron Lie Down in Darkness
Oh, I would say, you've never understood me, Harry, that not out of vengeance have I accomplished all my sins but because something has always been close to dying in my soul, and I've sinned only in order to lie down in darkness and find, somewhere in the net of dreams, a new father, a new home.
Perhaps, he thought, if I only think of this second, this moment, the train won't come at all. Think of the water, think of now.
William Styron Lie Down in Darkness
Perhaps, he thought, if I only think of this second, this moment, the train won't come at all. Think of the water, think of now.
Maybe that's the key to happiness-being sort of dumb, not wanting to know any of the answers.
William Styron Lie Down in Darkness
Maybe that's the key to happiness-being sort of dumb, not wanting to know any of the answers.
Which is worse, past or future? Neither. I will fold up my mind like a leaf and drift on this stream over the brink. Which will be soon, and then the dark, and then be done with this ugliness...
William Styron Lie Down in Darkness
Which is worse, past or future? Neither. I will fold up my mind like a leaf and drift on this stream over the brink. Which will be soon, and then the dark, and then be done with this ugliness...
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«In memory of the countless men and women of all creeds, nations, and races who fell victim to the fascist and communist belief in the Inexorable Laws of Historical Destiny.»
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